The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 is highly competitive, with Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig inducted. Those left out include Bill Belichick and Eli Manning.
Competition is likely to be even fiercer in 2027. Belichick and Manning will be back on the ballot along with other 2026 finalists like Frank Gore, Torrey Holt and Yanda Marshal, and there are plenty of first-time candidates to consider.
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Here are 10 players who last played in the NFL during the 2021-22 season.
Rob Gronkowski
One of several acceptable answers to the question “Who is the greatest tight end of all time?”
No player caught more Tom Brady passes or had more receiving yards than Gronkowski, who is also one of the best blockers at his position and has a larger-than-life personality. The only thing limiting “Gronk” is injuries. When he’s healthy, he’s an unstoppable weapon in the hands of some of the NFL’s best talent.
Adrian Peterson
The last running back to win the NFL MVP was AD, who ranks fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and is one of nine players in history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. He was just 8 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season mark set in 2012-13.
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Peterson became a star from his first picture and continued into his 30s.
Richard Sherman
The loudest members of the Legion of Boom are also the best. Sherman switched from wide receiver to cornerback in high school and didn’t hear his name called until the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
One of the biggest corners in the league at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Sherman became a paradigm-changing defensive back in the Seahawks system and was a core component of the Super Bowl XLVIII team. He earned his reputation as the most trash-talker in history, often crippling his team.
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Ben Roethlisberger
Aside from Manning, the system has generally been kind to two-time Super Bowl champion quarterbacks. Roethlisberger’s first ring was more a product of Jerome Bettis and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense during his sophomore season, but overall, he was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL during his 18-year career.
Ben retires as the all-time leading passer for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. However, two sexual assault allegations early in his career cloud his achievements, and if spygate is enough to remove Bill Belichick from some people’s votes, we don’t know how that will play out.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 will likely be competitive. (Photo by Jared Wickham/Getty Images)
(Jared Wickham via Getty Images)
Antonio Brown
The second of our Steelers three offensive stars is also, politely, the most mercurial. Brown is expected to have a dominant season as he turns 30 and still have a stellar career, finishing second to Hines Ward on the Steelers’ all-time receiving list.
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However, few stars have quit the NFL as loudly as Brown, first with the Oakland Raiders, then the New England Patriots, and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 draft and did some amazing things on the field, but he will be remembered for much more than that.
Le’Veon Bell
Considering how short his prime ended up being, the third of the Killer B’s probably faces the best odds. Bell was one of the NFL’s top backs as a runner and receiver, but an ugly divorce from the Steelers caused him to miss a season before joining the New York Jets. He has never been the same since.
Cam Newton
It’s a Belichick-esque puzzle that Newton didn’t make it to the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility despite having one of the greatest seasons in the history of the game. He also had a great NFL career.
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Newton, who led the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record and Super Bowl title in 2015-16, commanded attention every time he stepped on the field. However, injuries derailed what could have been a strong second act, especially with so many other quarterbacks vying to be drafted.
Andrew Whitworth
Offensive linemen often don’t get their due, but Whitworth earned immunity over a 16-year career as a reliable blindside blocker for the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. He pitted the latter against the former at Super Bowl LVI and…
Eric Wedel
Weddle spent a solid decade as one of the NFL’s top safeties with the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, earning six Pro Bowls and throwing 29 interceptions during his career. He had a strong case when he first retired in 2020, but his return to the Rams in the 2021-22 playoffs after two devastating injuries was one of the biggest stories in the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, especially when he didn’t let a torn pectoral muscle stop him from playing every defensive snap.
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Alex Mack
Mack was arguably the best center of the 2010s, making seven Pro Bowls with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. In him and Joe Thomas, the Browns had two of the best offensive linemen in the league for seven years, and he helped lead the Falcons to the ill-fated Super Bowl.
